| Scooters in Ithaca can be a wonderful source of year-round
transportation in Ithaca. Three-years ago my wife, Kate Hackett,
and I went down to one car and added a spunky yellow scooter.
We have two young daughters, Maddie who is three-years old
and Nora who is seven months old. My wife and I share the
daily responsibility of using the car to transport the kids
to and from day school, so we coordinate the use of the scooter
and trade off vehicles as necessary to get us to and from
work.
The benefits of this choice have been immense. Riding a scooter
is great fun and a wonderful break between home and the office.
Furthermore, a brand new scooter costs less than $2,000, it
gets roughly 75 miles per gallon, the license fee is just
$5, and the annual insurance is less than $100. Convenient
and inexpensive parking is an extra benefit as both of us
can park next to our offices (even at Cornell where parking
is at a premium) and at Cornell a lifetime parking pass for
a scooter costs just $55.
Many people ask me whether it is realistic to ride a scooter
in Ithaca’s winters. While riding on snow-covered roads
is definitely too dangerous, fortunately, Ithaca does not
have as many snowy days that preclude riding as most people
think. Each winter, snow-covered roads force me to use alternative
transportation only 5 to 8 days. With regards to the cold,
the trick is dressing in layers and covering the cracks between
the gloves and the coat. I bought warm ice climbing gloves
and, with a couple layers of outdoor recreation clothes, I
am plenty warm to ride around at the typical in-town speeds
of 25-30 miles per hour. I have even ridden in -7 degree weather
without a much problem (but with extra layers).
I highly recommend scooters as an economic and fun source
of transportation in Ithaca. |
